Red Flag?
by hecklesyeah
Summary: "He's the enhanced person you were looking for? I could've sworn you were looking for the Winter Soldier in behalf of Cap." The search for one thing can yield a different result.
_Author's Notes: I've seen Civil War two times now. And it's awesome. It only really needs Maria Hill. Big time. The Russo brothers said in the London press conference (someone actually asked about Maria and Fury, BLESS) that she and Nick were busy on something else during this movie's timeline and that we'll find out soon. It's a little reassuring to know that they haven't simply been forgotten but at the same time, ?._

 _Anyway, this is weird and random. Post-CATWS, right before Avengers: AOU. And now that I think about it, there is a minor (?) spoiler here plus maybe a drizzle more of it so if you wish to remain spoiler-free, leave. Now._

* * *

"Alright," Tony started as he plopped down on the couch in Maria's office. "What's so urgent that I had to cancel lunch with Tom Cruise?"

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "No offense to Mr. Cruise but this trumps him, any day." She then moved to stand a few feet from Tony before she played the video.

"Sweet mother of—" The genius blurted out after watching someone in a red and blue costume swinging from building to building using god-knows-what and stopping a collision using his own person. "Tell me this is fiction. Or CGI."

She pursed her lips before answering, "If I do, then I'd be lying. His costume definitely needs an upgrade or two—"

"Or a hundred," he muttered.

"But as far as I know, everything in that video is real."

"He's the enhanced person you were looking for?" Maria opened her mouth to respond but he stood up to look more closely at the costumed creature, "I could've sworn you were looking for the Winter Soldier in behalf of Cap."

"I was. I am." The admission surprised Tony and it showed on his face. "But it's not just for Steve's benefit."

" _Steve_ , huh?" A smirk made its way on his face only to be wiped off a second later at the murderous glare Maria sent his way.

"Barnes was brainwashed and utilized as a weapon by Hydra. And while it could be argued that the brainwashing makes him a victim in all this, the same reason makes him a threat. There's no denying that his abilities alone make him dangerous; couple that with a fragile, unstable mental state and it could be disastrous."

"But didn't _Steve_ say Barnes pulled him out of the Potomac?"

"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't; does it really matter?"

"It matters to _Steve_."

Maria resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Tony's incessant yet surprisingly subdued teasing and fishing. "I _know_ it does." She took a deep breath before quietly adding, "But that doesn't excuse the fact that his judgment is skewed. If the evidence of brainwashing isn't enough, then Captain America's judgment would hold no sway over the governments and agencies who want to hold the Winter Soldier accountable. And it would certainly raise questions about his priorities; nobody wants that."

"So…" Tony frowned but thought twice about asking his next question with an accusatory approach. "What, you're planning to get to him before Cap does?"

"For a genius, you're getting there a little slowly." The corners of Maria's lips curved upward in a smirk. "But no. I'm helping him." When Tony's frown deepened, she sighed. "When he does find Barnes, it's likely that his priorities will change drastically. I'm saying that if that happens, he'll need someone who can keep him in line. Someone unbiased and willing to remind him of the bigger picture."

"I'm guessing that's you?"

She shrugged, "If it needs to be. But I'm sure there are others..." She trailed off, intentionally leaving the thought unfinished as she observed the man in front of her. She could practically see the gears turning in his mind but then he shrugged and looked back to the display they watched earlier.

"What about red-black-and-blue over here? Is he up for recruitment?" When Maria didn't answer immediately, he turned back to her and thought he may have imagined the nervous concern in her hesitation because when he blinked, it was gone.

"I advise against it."

"Why? He could be a good addition to the Avengers."

"An enhanced being doesn't get to be an Avenger just because of abilities, you know that."

"That guy is saving lives and preventing further damage to his part of the city." He frowned again, confused as he twisted in his seat to face her. "You're worried about his morals and motivation for doing what he's doing? What am I missing here?"

"What happens if he turns out to be too green to understand the sacrifices of the job? Or the repercussions of a single action?"

"You mean to say the burden of being an Avenger?"

"The pressure, yes." She kept her gaze steady on his throughout the conversation.

"But that's what we're all here for, right? We can watch over him and maybe some of us can guide him. We'll make him feel more welcome than his day job does. We can—"

She cut him off quietly but effectively. "He's not old enough to have a day job."

"I'm sorry, what?" She simply gave him a look because she knew he heard her. "So what if he's not old enough to drink—"

She played the video again. "See how he conveniently fits into those confined spaces?"

"He's tiny?" She tilted her head in reluctant agreement. He has known Maria Hill for a few years now, back when she was still Deputy Director of SHIELD. Their interactions have increased considerably since then. And in every one of those, he's been the recipient of either her wry humor or her straightforward, usually annoyed statements (or judgments), never this seemingly unsure hesitation. So if he wasn't serious a few minutes ago, he definitely was now. "Hill, what aren't you telling me?"

"There's a lot to learn about this guy but what's certain is…" She picked up a brown folder from her desk and dropped it on the couch beside Tony's thighs; it's the file she's compiled on the mystery guy. "Peter Parker is not old enough to _drive_. Or even get a learner's permit, at least not around here." She's pretty sure the shock on Tony's face now matched the one on hers when she first found out.

"Holy shit." She nodded grimly in response. "You actually used _paper_?"

She couldn't have stopped her exasperated eye-roll even if she tried; well, she could've but she didn't want to. "I don't want to run the risk of an enemy hacking into your server and getting a hold of this. No offense, JARVIS, but I think it's safer this way."

"None taken, Ms. Hill." Came the response of Tony's trusted A.I. When Maria came to work at Stark Industries, part of the agreement was that JARVIS would only be monitoring the events in her office and not recording anything unless specifically told to do so. She stated security measures as her primary reason; it was only fitting as she was the Security Director.

"Talk about paranoia."

"It's in the job description. And after everything that's happened, one would think _you'd_ develop it."

"Let me guess, you've already memorized his file and you'll be burning it as soon as I'm done with it?"

She didn't dignify his statement with a verbal response. She only gestured for him to look at it. "He's a kid, Tony, just turned 15. Orphaned as a baby, then lost his uncle around the time he started with his heroics. He only has his aunt now."

"All the more reason to recruit him; he's young and needs great super-role models."

"If you're volunteering, I'm going to have to reject the idea right this second." He answered her raised eyebrow with a mock-offended expression before he sobered up and gave her a look, as if he were asking her to consider his point. She sighed, "Are you sure this environment is the best for a child?"

Tony paused, seemed to think it over before he suggested, "We could ask him?"

She looked down at her tablet. "Right, let him decide. I'm sure he'd be completely objective and professional," she drawled then gave Tony a blank stare. "What 15-year-old wouldn't want to join the Avengers?"

"You."

"I'm not 15."

"But if you were—"

"I'm not enhanced."

" _Please_. As if you need any enhancements." She looked up at this, her eyes narrowed in observation of the man who basically just complimented her. For a brief moment, she could've sworn he was being sincere and perhaps he was. But in true Tony Stark fashion, he ruined it with a wink, "Of any kind."

She gave him an unimpressed look then nodded her head toward the area where a hanging-in-midair red-black-and-blue was projected. "So?"

"You're really worried about the kid, huh?" Tony narrowed his eyes at her when she looked away.

She shook her head as her brows furrowed. "I just— He's 15. He deserves to live a normal life."

He wouldn't have expected this from the woman he used to call 'Agent Chill' but he's been wrong before — it hasn't happened a lot, he thinks, and he doesn't like admitting it but he has. And clearly, he didn't know her well enough. Besides, she's right; children, enhanced or not, are always a different matter. They shouldn't be dragged into this world-saving business unless it's absolutely necessary. So with a voice softer than usual, he said, "He's never going to live a normal life, you know. Given what he does."

"Yes, but he has a chance. Nobody knows who he is when he's not wearing the mask or the costume."

"The _onesie_ ," Tony corrected, his upper lip curled in disapproval.

"When he's in school…" She trailed off then turned to Tony. "He's doing well, by the way. The little scientist would make you proud."

He perked up. "I feel like I already am. I mean, have you seen what the kid could do?" The excitement was evident in his expression and for a moment there, he reminded her of Clint — proud dad Clint, not Hawkeye Clint. She found herself shaking her head and biting back a smile as she moved to sit on her chair behind her desk.

"He also seems like a happy kid, all things considered." Going through the loss of both parents and the uncle he probably considered his father? The kid's nothing if not resilient. "His aunt adores him."

She watched the billionaire's eyes narrow at her and she knew she's caught. Not that she was actually hiding to begin with. "You've met him, haven't you?"

She neither confirmed nor denied it but she did say, "I needed to make sure his living conditions were working for him. New York can do without someone like him going postal."

"Because being raised by a single parent can do that?"

"Being _raised_ by an indifferent alcoholic with violent tendencies can do that, single or not." And just like that, she hit two birds with one stone. She felt a little guilty, springing that on the unsuspecting genius; it didn't help that the other bird is herself.

After a long, charged silence, Tony finally spoke up. "You know what? There isn't a shortage of superheroes right now." She merely raised an eyebrow in response. "How about we put off recruitment and just set up surveillance? Nothing intrusive; the kid needs his privacy. But just… Keep an eye on him?" The hint of a smile on her face made him tilt his head. "You would've done it anyway, wouldn't you?" She just leaned back in her chair and stared at him as he stood and headed to the door. "And maybe keep it on the down low for now? I know you and _Steve_ have regular phone calls but—" He did a double-take when he noticed the pink shade creeping up her neck and cheeks. He opened his mouth to tease her further but instead hightailed it out of her office when he saw her glaring daggers at him.

When the door clicked shut, she slumped in her seat and pinched the bridge of her nose. She refused to acknowledge that the heat in her neck and cheeks had more to do with having someone call her out on being phone pals with Captain America than it did with her taking offense at Tony Stark questioning her confidence.

It seemed the universe was playing tricks on her because her phone rang a few seconds later with her caller I.D. flashing a set of numbers she's grown familiar with, too familiar. She picked her phone up and accepted the call but didn't speak.

"Maria? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm… I'm here, Steve."

* * *

 _A/N: Did it even make sense? I was a mess of feels after the movie. I don't even know what this tried to accomplish._

 _P.S. Romance took a backseat here, sorry to anyone expecting more._


End file.
